TWI745368B - Lockset with integrated wireless signals analysis feature and method - Google Patents

Abstract

A wireless lockset with integrated wireless signals analysis and method is described herein. The analysis integrated into the wireless lockset allows remote monitoring of a building or dwelling. A user can track and be notified of the state of occupancy of a dwelling based upon when specific un-associated devices that are within range of the lockset.

Description

Lock with integrated wireless signal analysis feature and method

The present invention generally relates to a locking device; in particular, the present invention relates to an electronic locking device for wirelessly detecting known devices and unknown devices.

Electronic locking systems are widely used in residential and commercial markets. In some cases, the electronic lock controls the movement of a mechanical locking assembly, such as a deadbolt, between its extended and retracted positions. These locking systems control access through a door in a building by requiring certain credentials. These certificates may include key entry types or keyless entry types. Some keyless entry types include a small keyboard in which a user can gain access by typing a code. In some cases, for example, credentials and/or commands can be provided wirelessly to a lock, such as a "Wireless Lockset With Integrated Antenna, Touch Activation, and Light Communication" filed on March 10, 2014. Method" US Patent No. 9,024,759 and the US Pre-Grant Publication No. 2012/0234058 for a "Wireless Access Control System and Related Methods" filed on March 8, 2012, both of which are hereby disclosed Incorporated by reference. Many existing electronic locks include a notification feature. This notification feature usually allows a text message, email, etc. to be used to notify a user with administrator privileges when other users operate the lock. For example, when a user unlocks an electronic lock, the administrator user can receive a text message or email that someone has operated the lock and in some cases which user has operated the lock. Although this type of notification feature allows limited remote monitoring, there are several challenges. One challenge is that remote monitoring is limited to the door on which the electronic lock is installed. Generally, there may be many entrances to a building, and if a user enters/exits through an entrance that is not equipped with an electronic lock, no notification will be generated. Another challenge is that the existing electronic lock requires a device that is paired with the electronic lock (for example, a key fob, a smartphone app, etc.) to determine which user is operating the lock.

According to the present invention, a door lock system is provided that periodically scans and analyzes devices within a specific range of the door lock hardware system. In an exemplary embodiment, the door lock hardware system may include a radio that periodically scans and analyzes all known devices and unknown devices within a specific range of the door lock hardware system. All devices (known or unknown) can be assigned an identification code, which is presented to a user via a graphical user interface. The user can adjust the settings to use the graphical user interface to select which devices have been tracked by the door lock hardware system. In another embodiment, the user can adjust the settings to select which devices trigger the notification sent by the door lock system to the user or another user. Other actions can be triggered in response to the detection of devices (known or unknown) within the range of the door lock hardware.

Related Applications This application claims the priority of U.S. Application No. 62/324,484 filed on April 19, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The diagrams and descriptions provided in this article can be simplified to illustrate aspects related to a clear understanding of one of the devices, systems, and methods described in this article. At the same time, for the purpose of clarity, the Other aspects found in the method. Those skilled in the art may recognize that other elements and/or operations may be desirable and/or required to implement the devices, systems, and methods described herein. Since these elements and operations are well-known in the art, and because they do not promote a better understanding of the present invention, a discussion of these elements and operations may not be provided in this article. However, the present invention is considered to inherently include all of these elements, variations, and modifications that will be known to those skilled in the art in the described aspects. In the specification, the reference to "an embodiment", "an embodiment", "an illustrative embodiment", etc., the embodiment described may include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic, but each embodiment may Or it may not necessarily include that specific feature, structure or characteristic. Moreover, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when describing a specific feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with an embodiment, it should be considered that whether it is explicitly stated or not, it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to realize this feature, structure, or characteristic in combination with other embodiments. In addition, it should be understood that items in the form of "at least one of A, B, and C" included in a list can mean: (A); (B); (C); (A and B); (A and C); (B and C) or (A, B and C). Similarly, items listed in the form of "at least one of A, B or C" can mean: (A); (B); (C); (A and B); (A and C) ; (B and C) or (A, B and C). In the drawings, certain structural or method features can be displayed in a specific configuration and/or order. However, it should be understood that these specific configurations and/or sequences may not be required. Rather, in some embodiments, these features may be configured in a manner and/or order different from the manner and/or order shown in the illustrative drawings. In addition, the inclusion of a structural or method feature in a particular figure does not imply that this feature is required in all embodiments, and this feature can be included in some embodiments or can be combined with other features. Referring now to the drawings and, in particular, to FIG. 1, there is shown an exemplary environment in which a locking assembly 204 can operate in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. A typical environment 100 may include a single residence 106. In other embodiments, the environment may include multiple residences in close proximity to each other, such as an apartment complex, one or more row houses, and/or commercial buildings. Generally, a residence can contain more than one access. For example, the residence 106 may include a front door 102, a side door 104, another door (not shown) located in the rear of the residence, a door (not shown) that enters from a garage, and/or others that provide an entrance/exit for the residence 106 door. One advantage of the lock assembly 204 is that it only needs to be installed on one of the doors while monitoring the other doors that provide an entrance/exit for the residence 106. Consider an example in which the lock assembly 204 is installed on the front door 102. Although a user 108 is shown using the side door 104 (which is one of the doors without the lock assembly 204) to leave the house 106, the user 108 can still be locked by the lock assembly on the front door 102 when leaving the house 106 from the side door 104 204 detected. As explained below, the lock assembly 204 can detect a user by wirelessly scanning an approaching device, such as a user carrying a wireless device (for example, a smart phone, a remote control key, etc.), the wireless device The detection is performed by the lock assembly 204 installed on the front door 102 using, for example, an integrated radio. For example purposes, the lock assembly 204 is shown to be installed on the front door 102, but the lock assembly 204 can be installed on any door in the residence 106. Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary system configuration 200 for synchronizing information is shown. In the example shown, the system includes a user device 202 that can receive the proximity device list information determined by the lock assembly 204 and from the lock assembly 204 via a network 206. The network 206 can be any type of network known to those skilled in the art, such as a local area network or the Internet. The lock assembly 204 may include a wireless communication module (see FIG. 7) that facilitates wireless communication with the user device 202 through a desired wireless communication protocol. In another embodiment, the user device 202 can use any desired protocol (such as Bluetooth™, Zigbee™ or Z-wave™) to directly synchronize with the lock assembly 204. Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown an exemplary electronic lock 300 for mounting on a door 302 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The exemplary electronic lock includes an inner chassis 304, a removable cover 306, and a manual rotation. Plate 308, a bolt 310, a panel 312, user input 314, an external chassis 316, a mechanical locking assembly 318, and a removable key 320. The internal chassis 304 may contain electronic circuits for an integrated radio. The integrated radio may have the ability to scan one or more frequency bands for detection of proximity devices (such as smart phones, PDAs, remote keys, or the like). The integrated radio can usually use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to scan for proximity devices. Design additional devices such as LEDs, switches, other integrated circuits, antennas and other devices into electronic circuits. The door lock assembly 204 can be installed on the outer part of the door, installed on the inside or a combination of external installation/internal installation. Figure 4 shows a simplified flow chart of an example of an integrated radio of the door hardware that performs a scan for a proximity device and compiles a list of detected devices. In this example, the method 400 starts by periodically scanning the device at block 402. The integrated radio can scan a frequency band or several frequency bands of interest, and record the unique signature of any other wireless devices in the same frequency band. In step 404, if no device is detected, the process restarts at block 402. If any device is detected, the process moves to step 406. In step 406, a list of one of the devices is created. For each device, the integrated radio can be assigned a unique identification code. It is also possible to classify each device with certain characteristics. These characteristics may include, but are not limited to, ID, name, range, detection time, dwell time, device type, and operating system. In some embodiments, the system tries to identify as many characteristics of the detected device as possible, especially in the case where one of the devices is an unknown device. These characteristics can be stored in a memory of the lock assembly 204 together with the device list. The device list can be stored in the memory of the lock assembly 204 for a specific period of time (such as 24 hours, a week, a month, or the like) to provide a history of a detected proximity device. The history can also be saved to a cloud server for access by the user device 202 at a later time. After determining the list, the process moves to step 408, and the list can be sent to a cloud server for synchronizing a user device (such as a user's smart phone). In another embodiment, when the user's device enters the specific proximity of the lock assembly 204, a near field communication protocol (for example, Bluetooth™, etc.) can be used to make the list communicate with a user的device synchronization. In step 410, the user can decide to create a notification after viewing the list of devices, which is described in further detail below in conjunction with FIG. 6. Figure 5 shows a simplified flow chart of one example of an alarm notification triggered based on the detection of certain devices. In this example, the method 500 starts with step 502 (receiving device list), which can be, for example, the list created in step 408 of FIG. 4. It can be received at a remote server or locally in the hardware of the lock assembly 204 itself. In step 504, the device list is analyzed based on user settings formed by a user, which will be described in further detail below with reference to FIG. 6. In step 506, the lock assembly 204 determines whether an alarm should be triggered for each device in the list. If no alarm is triggered, the program returns to the beginning. If an alarm is triggered, the program moves to step 510 and sends an appropriate alarm or notification. For example, a user may wish to be notified when his child's mobile phone is within the range of the lock assembly 204. Therefore, a user establishes a setting to be notified when a child's device is on the list of devices and can receive an appropriate notification (for example, SMS, text, email, etc.). In another exemplary embodiment, a user can choose to be notified whenever an unknown or new device is determined to be within the range of the lock hardware. Once it is determined that an unknown or new device is on the list, the user can be notified accordingly (for example, SMS, text, mail, etc.). Furthermore, the lock assembly 204 can communicate with a home automation system. Therefore, when the user can be notified of an unknown device, a command can also be triggered to the home automation system to lock all doors/windows or even close an open garage door. 6 is a simplified flowchart showing an example from a user's perspective using a user device that has a software application that interacts directly or indirectly with the lock assembly 204. In this example, the process 600 starts at step 602 and receives a device list, which can be viewed on one of the user's devices through a software application or "app". The device list basically represents the living state of a specific house, such as all the devices within the specific range of the house 106 in FIG. 1. In step 604, the user may decide to update or create settings to establish notifications and/or alarms that occur when a device is detected within a specific proximity of the lock assembly 204. If the user chooses not to make any changes, the procedure moves back to step 602. If the user chooses to make changes, the program moves to step 606 to update/form an alarm. As mentioned above, when certain devices are determined to be within the range of the lock hardware, the user can choose to receive certain notifications (for example, SMS, text, email). Other settings can also be established; for example, a specific area based on the size and proximity of a house, or command settings sent to a home automation system based on some detected devices. Once the settings are completed, the program moves to step 608 and saves the selected alarms/notifications. In step 610, the saved alarms/notifications can be synchronized with a cloud server and/or lock assembly 204. Referring now to FIG. 7, a simplified block diagram of an exemplary computing environment 700 for the lock assembly 204 in which the door lock application is executed is shown. The illustrative implementation 700 includes a lock assembly 204 that can communicate with one or more other computing systems or devices 742 via one or more networks 740. As shown, the lock assembly 204 includes a storage medium 720. The illustrative lock assembly 204 includes at least one processor 712 (eg, a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, etc.), a memory 714, and an input/output (I/O) subsystem 716. Although not shown in detail, it should be understood that the I/O subsystem 716 may include, among other things, an I/O controller, a memory controller, and one or more I/O ports. The processor 712 and the I/O subsystem 716 are communicatively coupled to the memory 714. The memory 714 may be embodied as any type of suitable computer memory device (for example, volatile memory, such as various forms of random access memory). The I/O subsystem 716 is communicatively coupled to a number of components including one or more user input devices 718 (for example, a touch screen, keyboard, virtual keypad, microphone, etc.), one or more storage Media 720, one or more output devices 722 (for example, speakers, LEDs, etc.), one or more sensing devices 724, 726, 728, one or more cameras or other sensor applications 730 (for example, software-based Sensor control) and one or more network interfaces 732. The storage medium 720 may include one or more hard disk drives or other suitable data storage devices (for example, flash memory, memory card, memory stick, and/or other). In some embodiments, for faster processing or other reasons, part of the system software (for example, an operating system, etc.), framework/middle software (for example, API, target library Etc.), and part of the system software or framework/middle software is copied to the memory 714. One or more network interfaces 732 can communicatively couple the computing device 710 to a network, such as, for example, a local area network, a wide area network, a personal cloud, an enterprise cloud, a public cloud, and/or the Internet. Therefore, the network interface 732 may include one or more wired or wireless network interface cards or adapters, for example, as may be required according to the specifications and/or design of the specific computing system 700. The network interface 732 may use, for example, near field communication (NFC), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), radio frequency identification (RFID), infrared (IR) or other suitable technologies to provide short-range wireless or optical communication capabilities. Further, wireless communication can use Zigbee or Z-Wave protocol. The other computing system 742 may be embodied as any suitable type of computing system or device, such as any of the aforementioned types of devices or other electronic devices or systems. For example, in some embodiments, the other computing system 742 may include one or more server computers for storing part of the data stored in the storage medium 720. Further, the computing device 742 may further include an application program 744 to provide a display interface for a user to implement the stated embodiment of the present invention. For clarity of description, the computing system 700 may include other components, subcomponents, and devices that are not illustrated in FIG. 7. Generally speaking, the components of the computing system 700 are communicatively coupled through electronic signal paths (as shown in FIG. 7), and these electronic signal paths can be embodied as any one that can facilitate communication between individual devices and components. Type of wired or wireless signal path. Examples The following provides illustrative examples of the wireless locks with integrated wireless signals disclosed herein. An embodiment of a wireless lock may include any one or more and any combination of the examples set forth below. Example 1 includes an electronic lock system for use with a mobile device. The system includes a locking device that can move between a locked position and an unlocked position and an electronic lock with an integrated radio. The electronic lock is configured to: scan a proximity area for known devices and unknown devices, where the proximity area is a predefined area within the range of the electronic lock; determine the difference between the known devices and unknown devices in the proximity area A list; synchronize the list of known devices and unknown devices with the mobile device; and trigger one or more alarms based on the list of known devices and unknown devices. In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 is further configured to synchronize the proximity device list with the user device via the Internet. In Example 3, the subject matter of Example 1 is further configured to synchronize the proximity device list with the user device via Bluetooth. In Example 4, the subject matter of Example 1 is further configured so that the mobile device is configured to: receive the list of known devices and unknown devices; create or update user settings by a user of the mobile device, the Waiting for user settings to define alarms or notifications associated with one or more of the known devices and the unknown devices. In Example 5, the subject matter of Example 4 is further configured to classify each device with one or more characteristics, the one or more characteristics being an ID, name, range, detection time, dwell time, device type And operating system. In Example 6, the subject matter of Example 5 is further configured such that the one or more alarms triggered are further based on the user settings. In Example 7, the subject matter of Example 1 is further configured so that all the determined proximity devices are stored in a master list for a period of time. Example 8 is an electronic lock that includes at least one processor and a non-transitory computer medium, the non-transitory computer medium includes a plurality of instructions, and the plurality of instructions perform the following operations in response to being executed by the at least one processor: Known devices and unknown devices scan a proximity area, where the proximity area is a predefined area within the range of the electronic lock; determine a list of known devices and unknown devices in the proximity area; make known devices and unknown devices The list of devices is synchronized with the mobile device; and one or more alarms are triggered based on the list of known devices and unknown devices. In Example 9, the subject matter of Example 8 is further configured to synchronize the proximity device list with the user device via the Internet. In Example 10, the subject matter of Example 8 is further configured to synchronize the proximity device list with the user device via Bluetooth. In Example 11, the subject matter of Example 8 is further configured so that the instructions when executed by the processor further perform the following operations: the list of known devices and unknown devices; created by a user of the mobile device or Update, user settings define alarms or notifications associated with one or more of the known devices and the unknown devices. In Example 12, the subject matter of Example 11 is further configured to classify each device with one or more characteristics, which are an ID, name, range, detection time, dwell time, and device type And operating system. In Example 13, the subject matter of Example 12 is further configured such that the one or more alarms triggered are further based on user settings. In Example 14, the subject matter of Example 8 is further configured so that all the determined proximity devices are stored in a master list for a period of time. Example 15 is a method for determining a list of devices close to an electronic lock. The method includes the following steps: scanning a proximity area for the device, where the proximity area is a predefined area within the range of the electronic lock; determining a list of known devices and unknown devices in the proximity area; making known devices And the list of unknown devices is synchronized with the mobile device; and one or more alarms are triggered based on the list of known devices and unknown devices. In Example 16, the subject matter of Example 15 is further configured to synchronize the proximity device list with the user device via the Internet. In Example 17, the subject matter of Example 15 is further configured to synchronize the proximity device list with the user device via Bluetooth. In Example 18, the subject matter of Example 15 is further configured so that the method includes the following steps: receiving the list of known devices and unknown devices; and being created or updated by a user of the mobile device, user setting definitions and Alarms or notifications associated with one or more of the known devices and the unknown devices. In Example 19, the subject matter of Example 18 is further configured to classify each device with one or more characteristics, the one or more characteristics being an ID, name, range, detection time, dwell time, device type And operating system. In Example 20, the subject matter of Example 19 is further configured such that the one or more alarms triggered are further based on user settings. Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific components, materials, and embodiments, those skilled in the art can easily determine the basic characteristics of the present invention from the foregoing description and without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following patent applications Various changes and modifications are made in the spirit and scope to adapt to various uses and characteristics.

100‧‧‧Typical environment 102‧‧‧Front door 104‧‧‧Side door 106‧‧‧House 108‧‧‧User 200‧‧‧Example system configuration 202‧‧‧User device 204‧‧‧Lock assembly /Lock assembly/Door lock assembly/Descriptive lock assembly 206‧‧‧Network 300‧‧Example electronic lock 302‧‧‧Door 304‧‧‧Internal chassis 306‧‧‧Removable cover 308‧ ‧‧Manually rotating piece 310‧‧‧Bolt 312‧‧‧Panel 314‧‧‧User input 316‧‧‧External chassis 318‧‧‧Mechanical locking assembly 320‧‧‧Removable key 700‧‧‧Exemplary Computing environment/illustrative implementation/computing system 712‧‧‧processor 714‧‧‧memory 716‧‧‧input/output subsystem 718‧‧‧user input device 720‧‧‧storage media 722‧‧‧output Device 724‧‧‧Sensing device 726‧‧‧Sensing device 728‧‧‧Sensing device 730‧‧‧Sensor application 732‧‧‧Network interface 740‧‧‧Network 742‧‧‧Computer system /Computer 744‧‧‧Application

Detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exemplary environment in which a lock assembly can be operated according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is an exemplary environment according to an embodiment of the present invention A simplified block diagram of an exemplary system for determining the proximity device within the range of the lock assembly; FIG. 3 is an electronic lock assembly installed on a door according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door shows an electronic lock assembly in dashed lines And a side view of the corresponding hardware; Fig. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for determining a list of devices within the proximity of a lock hardware according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 5 is based on A flowchart of an exemplary method for triggering an alarm notification based on a predefined user setting according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a list of a receiving device for a user according to an embodiment of the present invention And establish a flow chart of an exemplary method for user settings for alarm notification; and FIG. 7 is a simplified block diagram of an exemplary computing environment in conjunction with at least one embodiment of the lock assembly of FIG. 1.

300‧‧‧Example electronic lock

Door 302‧‧‧

304‧‧‧Internal chassis

306‧‧‧Removable cover

308‧‧‧Manually rotating plate

310‧‧‧Bolt

312‧‧‧Panel

314‧‧‧User input

316‧‧‧External chassis

318‧‧‧Mechanical locking assembly

320‧‧‧Removable key

Claims (20)

A system including an electronic lock for use with a mobile device. The system includes: a locking device that can move between a locked position and an unlocked position; the electronic lock includes an integrated radio, the electronic The lock is configured to: scan a proximity area for known devices and unknown devices, where the proximity area is a predefined area within the range of the electronic lock; determine a list of known devices and unknown devices in the proximity area ; Synchronize the list of known devices and unknown devices with the mobile device; and trigger one or more alarms based on the list of known devices and unknown devices. Such as the system of claim 1, wherein the proximity device list is synchronized with the mobile device via the Internet. Such as the system of claim 1, wherein the proximity device list is synchronized with the mobile device via Bluetooth. Such as the system of claim 1, in which the mobile device is configured to: receive the list of known devices and unknown devices; create or update user settings by a user of the mobile device, and the user setting definitions are consistent with the Alarms or notifications associated with known devices and one or more of these unknown devices. For example, in the system of claim 4, each device is classified by one or more characteristics. The one or more characteristics are an ID, name, range, detection time, dwell time, device type, and operating system. Such as the system of claim 5, wherein the one or more alarms triggered are further based on the user settings. Such as the system of claim 1, in which all the determined proximity devices are stored in a master list for a period of time. An electronic lock includes at least one processor and a non-transitory computer medium, the non-transitory computer medium includes a plurality of instructions, and the plurality of instructions perform the following operations in response to being executed by the at least one processor: for a known device And unknown devices scan a proximity area, where the proximity area is a predefined area within the range of the electronic lock; determine a list of known devices and unknown devices in the proximity area; make the known device and the unknown device The list is synchronized with a mobile device; and one or more alarms are triggered based on the list of known devices and unknown devices. For example, the electronic lock of claim 8, wherein the proximity device list is synchronized with the mobile device via the Internet. For example, the electronic lock of claim 8, wherein the proximity device list is synchronized with the mobile device via Bluetooth. For example, the electronic lock of claim 8, wherein the instructions further perform the following operations when executed by the processor: receive the list of known devices and unknown devices; created or updated by a user of the mobile device, and set by the user Define alarms or notifications associated with one or more of the known devices and the unknown devices. For example, the electronic lock of claim 11, in which each device is classified by one or more characteristics, and the one or more characteristics are an ID, name, range, detection time, stay time, device type, and operating system. Such as the electronic lock of claim 12, wherein the one or more alarms triggered are further based on user settings. For example, the electronic lock of claim 8, in which all the determined proximity devices are stored in a master list for a period of time. A method for determining a list of devices close to an electronic lock, the method comprising: scanning a proximity area for the device, wherein the proximity area is a predefined area within the range of the electronic lock; determining within the proximity area A list of known devices and unknown devices; synchronize the list of known devices and unknown devices with a mobile device; and trigger one or more alarms based on the list of known devices and unknown devices. Such as the method of claim 15, wherein the proximity device list is synchronized with the mobile device via the Internet. Such as the method of claim 15, wherein the proximity device list is synchronized with the mobile device via Bluetooth. For example, the method of claim 15, which further includes: receiving the list of known devices and unknown devices; created or updated by a user of the mobile device, the user setting definition is related to the known devices and the unknown devices One or more associated alarms or notifications. Such as the method of claim 18, in which each device is classified by one or more characteristics, and the one or more characteristics are an ID, name, range, detection time, dwell time, device type, and operating system. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more alarms triggered are further based on user settings.

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